Process of knitting



Feb. 4, 1941'. J. L. GETAZ I 3 shae' ts-sheet 1 ATToRN Feb. 4, 1941. I TA 2,230,403 Y PROCESS OF KNITTING Original Filed 09 10. 1955- s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 4 U ATTORN EY Feb. 4; 1941. J. L GETAZ 2,230,402.

PROCESS OF KNITTING Original Filed Dec. 10, 19.35 s'sheets-sheet s til Cut

Patented Feb. 4, 1941 PATENT OFFICE 2,230.40: mocsss'or m'r'rmc James Louis Getaz, Maryvllle, Tenn.

Original application December 10, 1935, Serial No. 53,824. Divided and this application July 13,

1937, Serial No. 153,329

1 Claims. (Cl. 66- 41) This invention relates to seamless hosiery made of plain fabric and more particularly to hosiery having elastic threads incorporated in the fabric along with inelastic body threads to support the stocking or sock on the leg. One of the objects of the invention is to produce a smooth flat fabric which will look like rib fabric, and another object is to produce a weltless, seamless stocking which will have a non-curling selvage. Another object is to produce such weltless stocking in an economical manner, starting up from the bare needles. It is characteristic of a stocking made in accordance with this invention that it is contracted by the elastic so that the wales are drawn together alternately on the back and front of the fabric, giving a fiat surface similar to one and one rib fabric.

This application is a division of my application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 53,824, filed December 10, 1935.

In the drawings,

Fig. l is a development of part of the knitting wave and knitting cams of a circular knitting machine embodying my invention, showing how the two yarns are fed to the needles;

Fig. 2 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 1, showing the needle circle and the manner in which the elastic yarn is fed to the needles and drawn out of action, the small arrow indicating the knocking-over point;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic horizontal section through fabric made in accordance with my invention, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 5, the fabric being shown in an expanded state;

Fig. 4v is a diagrammatic horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 5, showing the fabric in its normal or contracted state;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of the interlooping of the yarns in a fabric made in accordance with my invention, the upper portion of this figure showing the fabric as it lies on the needles, and the lower portion showing the fabric contracted with its normal or one and one rib appearance;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of two needles showing the position of the rubber yarn as it lies against the shank of the elevated needle; v

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing the lower needle partly raised so as to drive the elastic yarn behind the hook of the lower needle;

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view of the interlooping of the yarns in the novel anti-ravel selvage of my stocking;

Fig. 9 is a view in elevation of suflicient of the left side of a seamless knitting machine to show that it is equally applicable to any other kind fabric is sharply contracted laterally by the elasthe mechanism for controlling the elastic yarn; Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic outline showing the appearance of the back of the upper portion of a man's hose embodying my invention, while Fig. 11 is an enlarged diagram of the interloop- 5 I ing in part of a course where the elastic yarn is present, the fabric being expanded.

The stocking will be described and shown as a man's half hose, but it should be understood 10 of hosiery. In making stockings or socks which have some elastic element incorporated in them to maintain the sock in position on the leg, dif-= ficulty is encountered in producing anarticle having a satisfactory appearance. My novel stocking is a weltless one, that is to say, the top of the sock or stocking is of a single thickness. It is begun on the bare needles, makes an anti-rave] of its own and produces a top or cuil' having the appearance of smooth flat one and one rib fabric such as is usually found in a man's sock-all this being done on a. single set of needles.

In the case of my novel stocking there is an interlaced or anti-ravel elastic yarn, I I, exercising tension on the fabric and tending to contract it. The actual interloopings of the selvage are somewhat similar to those in the Robert W. Scott Patent No. 1,148,056, dated July 27, 1915, but the tic tension. The first looped course, II, in the top will preferably be made of inelastic yarn, although it can be made of elastic yarn if desired. The anti-ravel yarn, I l, lies in the loops of course, l2. In general I find it desirable to use elastic yarn in the top only at intervals. After making the anti-rave], ll, of an elastic yarn, I find it preferable with most elasticv yarns in ordinary socks not to insert elastic again until, say, the second or third course of loops in the top. Thereafter, the elastic can be introduced at the same interval repeatedly throughout the portion of the stocking where desired. Thus it can be put in the top, the top and leg, or the top, leg and foot, or any part thereof.

The ordinary inelastic yarn, I3, is knit in the regular manner while the elastic yarn is fed in differentiated manner to alternate needles. In no wale is the elastic yarn knitted in as distinguished from laid in or floated.

In my invention I tie in the elastic yarn in every alternate wale It on the back of the fabricand float it in the adjacent or intervening wales l5, repeating this procedure all the way around the stocking. Thus the elastic yarn 20 is 55 incorporated in the fabric by interlacing on the inside of the fabric in every second wale. It is thus attached by catching it in between the legs of the needle wales, ii. in successive courses 5 with the tops of the adjacent sinker wales, i1, ,going around the elastic. It might be noted that in Fig. 5 the top of the figure is knit-last. I am careful to feed the elastic yarn in under a heavy tension sufiicient to contract thefabric unit) til it resembles rib fabric. In the absence of sufficiently heavy tension my fabric is not produced.

I find that by thus alternately floating and laying in the elastic yarn under adequate tension,

the fabric is contracted so that the wales in which the elastic yarn is free are drawn to the front of the fabric and the wales in which the elastic yarn is laid in are drawn to back of the fabric and buried out of sight. In this way a neat, smooth and even appearance is given to the fabric without all the difilculties and complexities of a rib knitting machine. I also find that this structure with the elastic yarn interlaced through every sinker wale, when combined with the elastic yarn as the anti-revel yarn at the beginning, produces a structure which is of such a nature that the tendency of the ordinary fabric edge to curl is very much reduced. This may be due partly to the fact that the elastic yarn tends to make the plain fabric assume the wale 80 positions of rib fabric, and partly to the contraction or tension of the elastic yarn itself. It should also be noted that in order to change the fabric from the elastic rib top type of structure to the plain fabric of the ordinary leg or foot, it is necessary merely to withdraw the elastic yarn. In other words, the total number of wales in the fabric is not changed; it is not necessary to make any transfer from one needle to another. It is merely necessary to withdraw the yarn finger which is feeding the elastic yarn. It will be obvious, of course, that if desired the imitation rib fabric containing the elastic yarn in, say, every third course, can be continued throughout the leg until the heel is reached; or if desired it can also be continued down to the foot.

Any circular knitting machine having cylinder needles with selectivity as between successive needles can be adapted to make this sock or stocking. Thus the well-known Scott & Williams 0 type of revolving needle cylinder machine, such as shown, for instance, in the United States Letters Patent to Robert W. Scott, No. 1,152,850, dated September '7, 1915, can be adapted to do this work by the addition of mechanism for feed- 55 ing and tensioning the rubber yarn and adjusting the knitting cams properly.

The preferred method of feeding the elastic yarn is by means of a finger, 30, pivoted on a post, 29, on the bedplate, B, to move in a horizontal 00 plane just above the sinker cap, 3!, (Fig. 9) into and out of operative relation with the cylinder needles, 2i, 22. In this case the delivery end of the rubber yarn finger, 30, applies the rubber yarn, 20, at a point on the needle circle, which 65 is 'just after the crest of the cam, 366, raising the jacks, 38i, which lie under alternate needles. It will be the needles, 2i, with the jacks which have the rubber yarn laid against their shanks. The elevation of the rubber yarn feeding finger T0 is such that the needles, 2|, with jacks are raised until their latches are above the rubber yarn, so that as those needles are drawn down the yarn will be laid in but not knit in. It is obvious that the same results may be obtained by feeding the elastic thread on or above the l ches f the alternate needles, and then raising said needles until the elastic yarn is below the latches. If desired, this raising of the jack needles, 2i, can take place prior to passage by the switch cam (not shown), that is to say, between the cus- 6 tomary widening pick and the stitch cam. Short- -ly after the elastic yarn is laid against the raised needles, 2 I,

below their latches, the iackless needles, 22, rise on the camming edge of the leading stitch cam, I, and interlace the rubl0 ber yarn by passing in front thereof. with this manipulation all the needles reach the drawdown cam, 260, at the same level.

In starting up the sock from the bare needles with the elastic'yarn laid in front of and behind the needles alternately in advance of the throat plate, "II, as above described, the feeding of the rubber yarn commences slightly before the feeding of the non-elastic yarn in'the throat plate in order that the first needle to which the elastic 20 yarn is fed may reach the throat plate before the non-elastic yarn begins to feed. In order to get this advanced action of one of the yarn feeds, special -movements can be obtainedfrom either the main pattern drum or an auxiliary drum. In 25 the drawings the abnormally early movement of the rubber yarn finger, 30, is obtained by means of a link, I, connected to a pivoted lever, 862, operated by a cam surface on the main pattern drum, the needles as described and simultaneously feeding the non-elastic yarn, ii, to the hooks of the needles in a normal manner-all in the same 'coursethe anti-revel startup construction described is obtained. This quick and simple man- 85 ner of obtaining an anti-rave] elastic edge at the upper end of a weltless stocking is not per se claimed herein, as it forms the subject matter of Letters Patent of the United States, No. 2,054,217, granted to me September 15, 1936, upon 4" an application, Serial No. 59.125, filed January 14, 1936, which is a division of my original application, Serial No. 53,824, filed December 10, 1935. The use of elastic yarn for the anti-ravel, in combination with the use of elastic yarn in sub- 45 sequent courses, as will now be described, produces the much constricted fabric of my novel top. However, it should be noted that in order to produce'this novel top, it is necessary that the tension on the elastic yarn as it is fed into the machine be above a certain minimum, and that the elastic be incorporated in a special manner. The tension must be great enough to pull the wales together till they give. the appearance of rib fabric.

Turning now to the manipulation of the machine for the courses subsequent to the anti-ravel startup on the bare needles, I have discovered that by using in subsequent courses the same manipulation of the needles andthe yarns referred to above in connection with the startingup course, and maintaining the high tension on the elastic yarn already referred to, unexpected advantages result. I have discovered that when the elastic yarn is introduced in this manner in 6.5 a course subsequent to the anti-ravel course, the elastic yarn is entirely hidden on the face of the fabric except when the fabric is stretched to an extreme degree. Thus in the intervening wales, i5, knit on those needles, 2i, where the 7 elastic yarn, 20, is laid in front of the shanks, the elastic yarn is floated and as the fabric turns over down into the fabric tube of the machine the elastic yarn floats lie inside the fabric and cover entirely the intervening wales, i5, of non- 1'5 I20. By feeding the elastic yarn, 20, to 30 elastic yarn. In those wales, H, where the elastic yarn was laid behind the needles, 22, the entire structure is outside the elastic yarn except for the sinker wales, l1, each of which goes around in back of the elastic yarn, thus laying the elastic yarn in every sinker wale. This construction can be seen in Fig. 11, which is a diagram of the interlooping and interlacing in one course, as seen from the front of .the fabric while it is extended.

The elastic yarn is fed into the machine with a high tension such that as the fabric moves away from the needles down the fabric tube the fabric contracts to a normal state in which the one and one rib appearance already described occurs. In this normal contracted condition it is the intervening wales, 15, which were knit on the needles where the elastic yarn was laid in front af the needles, which will form the face of the fabric, and the alternate wales, l4, knit on the needles where the elastic yarn was laid in back of the shanks lie buried in the rear of the fabric.

The elastic yarn can, if desired, be floated from course to course until it is time for its re-- introduction, thus making the elastic yarn continuous throughout the portion of the fabric where it is present. This is indicated at 21, Fig. 10. In this case the periodic introduction of the elastic yarn is obtained by manipulation of the needles. The elastic yarn finger, 30, is kept in its inoperative position Thus, in a cour e where the elastic yarn is to be present, every jack needle, 2 I, is raised before reaching the elastic yarn finger, 30, and in courses where the elastic yarn is not to be present, no needles are raised until a point subsequent to the position of the elastic yarn finger is reached. In this connection it should be noted that the normal level for the tops of the needles at a point opposite the elastic yarn finger is below such finger so that unless a needle is specially raised by a jack it will pass the rubber yarn finger without taking the yarn.

In view of the reat amount of the te si n. i is very important that the tension be uniform at all times while the rubber varn is e ns introduced and particularly so at the time that the stocking is being started. In some cases it is desirable for more tens on to be used in the starting-up of the stocking than in the subsenu nt courses where the elastic yarn is present. but in any case the tension must be absolutely controlled. Under ordinary pract ce, the tension is maintained uniform at all times. and since it is important that the tension in the first course of the stocking be approximately the same as the tension on the elastic yarn in the last course in which it is present, it is important that there be no creeping of the rubber yarn toward the finger while the yarn is not feeding. The slightest variation therein will either cause a lack of uniformity in the stocking or a change in the width of the stocking. To minimize any such variations in tension, I prefer to place the tensioning means a considerable distance from the point at which the elastic yarn is fed to the needles. For this purpose, I lead the elastic yarn to a point near the floor when using an elastic yarn which is covered, i. e.. Lastex or any other elastic yarn which has an inelastic covering. To reach this position near the floor, the elastic yarn, shortly after leaving the elastic yarn finger, crosses over a roller, 3 i One kind of tensioning means which I find suitable for this work is the so-called button or disk tension. This ccnsists of two disks, 32, pressed together lightly by an adjustable compression spring, 33. Slight changes in the pressure on the disks by this compression spring make a considerable difference in the Width of the stocking or sock .-being knit by the is sometimes desirable to provide the tension by leading the elastic yarn around a reel or circular disk and putting a frictional brake on this reel. In this case I also prefer to use a takeup similar to that used for the heel and toe of the stocking in order to take up the slack in the elastic yarn when it is not being fed into.the machine. By the use of this takeup, in addition to the reel with the friction brake thereon, the tension of the elastic yarn when first introduced at the beginning of the stocking is uniform with the tens on of the yarn as it is fed in in subsequent courses. The reel with the brake thereon prevents the rubber from crawling while the elastic yarn is not feeding to the machine, the crawling of course tending to reduce thetension on the yarn when it is first fed into the stocking. When that portion of the stocking or sock is completed where the elastic yarn is used, the elastic yarn is thrown out of action by withdrawing the yarn finger radially. This radial withdrawal throws the rubber yarn into a clamp, 35, carried on the head of the machineand lying above the sinker cap between the throat plate and the yarn finger, 30, this clamp holding the thread until the next stocking is started. If desired, and I find it preferable, the clamp may include a knife for cutting the elastic thread between the clamp and the needle cylinder, or if desired, the clamp may hold the elastic yarn and allow it to break as the subsequent knitting operations increase the tension on the elastic yarn.

As already mentioned, the elastic yarn may be fed in every course, or upon the completion of the first course may be omitted and introduced in the second, third or any other desired number of courses in regular sequence or order. It is essential, however, that its introduction be at every other needle so that it lies in one wale and is floated in the next, so that, owing to.-the tension of the elastic yarn the wales are pushed laterally and brought to the position that they would assume if the fabric was rib.

Where in this specification the words elastic yarn are used, it should be understood that they include any resilient yarn, such for instance as rubber, Lastex, etc. Where the specification refers to alternate needles, every other needle is meant.

The fabric and articles of hosiery herein de scribed are not claimed herein, as they form the subject matter of my aforesaid original application Serial No. 53,824, filed December 10, 1935.

The improvements in knitting machine herein shown and described for carrying out my improved process and producing my improved fabric and articles of hosiery, are not herein claimed as they form the subject matter of a separate application for Letters Patent of the United States, filed May 4, 1937, and given Serial No. 140,587, now Patent No. 2,161,250, which said application is also a division of my application Serial No. 53,824, filed December 10, 1935, hereinbefore referred to.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

- 1. In a process of making a plain knit seamless stocking, the steps of starting up on the bare 5 needles of a circular knitting machine by successively feeding an elastic yarn in front of and in rear of successive needles so that it will be placed below the latches, then feeding an inelastic yarn into the hooks of all the needle in the same course and knitting off both yarns simultaneously and repeating these manipulations in some subsequent courses, the elastic yam being always fed under abnormally heavy tension sufficient to contract the fabric to not more than two thirds its normal circumference and to draw alternate wales together to form the outer face of the fabric and to submerge the intervening outwardly facing wales in rear of said alternate wales.

2. In a process for making a seamless plain knit stocking, the steps of feeding an elastic yarn to the needles of a circular knitting machine in advance of the throat plate, interlacing said elastic yarn with said needles alternately below the latches, and thereafter in the same course feeding inelastic yarn to all the needles from the throat plate, and knitting off both yarns at the same time to form an anti-ravel course, and thereafter feeding the elastic yarn for one or more courses spaced from the anti-revel course,

feeding the elastic yarn again for a single spaced course and repeating this sequence throughout a portion of the upper end of the stocking, the elastic yarn being fed at abnormally heavy tension so that when the stocking is removed from the knitting machine the fabric will be contracted and every second wale forced together to form a smooth outer. surface, and thereby submerging the intervening outwardly facing wales, giving this plain knit fabric the appearance of 4 smooth one and one rib knit fabric.

3. The process of forming a circular plain knit elastic top fora stocking, which consists in feeding an elastic thread to bare needles of a circular knitting machineso that it will be interlaced in front of alternate needles below the latches thereof and behind the intervening needles, feeding an inelastic thread to the hooks of all the needles and drawing loops of said inelastic thread, enclosing the elastic thread, to form an elastic selvage, knitting successive courses of plain knitting with the inelastic thread, applying abnormally heavy tension to the elastic thread and introducing it into selected courses forward of the normal feeding point for inelastic thread so that it will be interlaced in front of and below the latches of alternate needles and in rear of the intervening needles to lay the elastic thread in the fabric at the wales formed by said intervening needles, and float it in rear of the wales formed by said alternate needles, the tension of said elastic thread being sufficient to force the wales formed by said alternate needles into close contact to form the outer face of the fabric and to submerge the intervening but outwardly facing wales behind said outerface forming wales, when the fabric is removed from engagement with the needles.

4. The process of forming a circular plain knit elastic top for a stocking, which consists in feed- 70 ing an elastic thread to bare needles of a circular knitting machine so that it will be interlaced in front of alternate needles below the latches thereof and behind the intervening needles, feeding an inelastic thread to the hooks of all the needles 7; and drawing loops of said inelastic thread, en-

closing the elastic thread to form an elastic selvage, knitting successive courses of plain knitting with the inelastic thread, applying abnormally heavy tension to the elastic thread and introducingit into selected courses forward of I the normal feeding point for inelastic thread so that it will be interlaced in front of and below the latches of alternate needles and n rear of the intervening needles to lay the elastic thread in the fabric at the wales formed by said inter- 1 vening needles, in front of the sinker wales and in rear of said needle wales, the tension of the elastic thread being sufficient to force the wales formed by the said alternate needles into close proximityto form the outer face of the fabric 1 and to force the intervening but outwardly facing wales into close proximity to each other and submerging them in rear of the said outer face forming alternate wales, discontinuing the feeding of the elastic thread and knitting the leg and N foot of the stocking of courses formed of the inelastic thread.

5. The process of forming a plain knit elastic fabric having the characteristics of rib fabric, which consists in knitting a plurality of plain knit courses of inelastic thread and in certain selected courses incorporating an elastic thread by feeding it so that it will be interlaced in front of alternate needles below the latches and behind intermediate needles,'and thereafter feeding the #9 inelastic thread to "the hooks of all the needles, and applying an abnormally heavy tension to the elastic thread during the feeding thereof, sufficient to draw the wales formed by said alternate needles substantially together to form the outer face of the fabric and draw the intervening outwardly facing wales together and submerge them in rear of the said alternate outer face forming wales, while keeping all of said wales of the fabric on the outer side of the elastic'thread in said 40 selected courses, when the fabric is removed from I the knitting machine.

6. The process of forming a tubular seamless plain knit elastic fabric having the characteristics of 1 x' 1 rib fabric which comprises feeding 45 an inelastic thread so as to be received by all the needles of a circular knitting machine to knit a plurality of plain knit courses of inelastic thread while incorporating an elastic thread in certain selected courses by feeding it under tension so 6 that it will be interlaced in front of every other needle and behind the intermediate needles and uniting it tothe fabric atalternate wales and floating it in rear of intervening wales to cause said intervening wales of the fabric to form the outer face of the fabric and substantially submerge the said alternate outwardly facing wales, thereby materially reducing the diameter of the fabric.

. 7. The process of forming a tubular seamless 6 plain knit elastic fabric having the characteristics of a 1 x 1 rib fabric on a single series of needles, which comprises feeding to said needles both an inelastic and an elastic thread, and knitting a plurality of plain knit courses forming a plain 65 knit fabric in which are incorporated said elastic and inelastic threads, said elastic thread being under the proper tension to materially reduce the width of said plain knit fabric, said elastic thread being incorporated in alternate wales and free of intervening wales of said plain knit fabric so as to bring intervening wales adjacent to each other to form the face of said plain knit fabric.

JAMES LOUIS GE'I'AZ. 7d 

